A visit to the Big Apple can take a large chunk of your dollars, however, there are various types of passes that you can utilize to cut back the cost of touring the attractions. The New York Explorer Pass allows you to save money while you visit as many attractions as you can. The NYC Explorer Pass is different from New York City Pass in that the former allows you to select a number of attractions to visit from a large pool of attractions and the latter allows you to choose the number of days you would want to tour New York City attractions.
How the New York Explorer Pass Works
When you have the NYC Explorer Pass, you can visit popular attractiong without having to buy tickets at every attraction. The Pass gives you an opportunity to sample 3,4,5,7, or 11 attractions out of a pool of over 80 attractions. With this Pass, you have freedom to visit major attractions in the city of New York at your pace and you don’t have to decide in advance, you can make the selection of attractions to visit when you arrive in New York or when on the go.
Once you arrive in New York, visiting the initial attraction is going to activate the Pass. The best thing about the New York Explorer Pass is that after you have activated it, you have another 30 days to visit up to 3 to 11 attractions that are included in the Pass. A visitor can save up to 50 percent when they use this Pass. At the gates, you present the print form of the Pass or you present the mobile version.
Prices of the New York Explorer Pass
- Explorer Pass for 3 attractions is $89
- Explorer Pass for 4 attractions is $119
- Explorer Pass for 5 attractions is $134
- Explorer Pass for 7 attractions is $169
- Explorer Pass for 11 attractions is $219
What’s Included in New York Explorer Pass and Attractions to Visit
The list of tourist attractions that are covered by the NYC Explorer Pass comprise the most famous. The Pass mainly focuses on bike riding tours that have become popular in New York.
The Empire State Building- A visit to this building allows you to get beautiful views of the city. If you have the Explorer Pass, you can skip the line meaning you save time when touring the Empire State Building. The Pass however doesn’t allow the holders to access 102nd floor, so you can get on to visit that floor when on site. You don’t need to make reservations to visit this iconic building.
Top of the Rock- Taking to the top of Rockefeller Center gives a visitor a chance to view the city. The viewing platform gets busy during sunset, when many visitors get to the observatory to watch the sun set over the Big Apple. So, get there early to ensure you secure your ticket. You don’t need to make reservations.
Hop-on Hop-off Bus Tours by Big Bus- Having a New York Explorer Pass lets you ride downtown and uptown the entire day by the Big Bus. You can ride two routes that count as just one attraction. No reservations are needed.
Landmarks Cruise by Circle Line Sightseeing– You cannot say that your trip to the Big Apple is complete if you have not taken a cruise. Among the popular cruises you can take are the Landmarks Cruise. The cruise takes you around Manhattan island whereby for about 1.5 hours you will explore half of the island. Again, you don’t need making reservations.
Ferry to Liberty Island and Ellis Island by Statue Cruises- If you have the New York Explorer Pass, you have an opportunity to board the Statue Cruises ferry that will take you to Ellis Island and Liberty Island. The ferry departs at Castle Clinton within Battery Park, and that’s the point to get your ticket. The New York Explorer Pass gives you a ticket for riding in the ferry and accessing the islands, however, it doesn’t give you access to the pedestal or crown of the statue. This means you have to purchase a separate ticket for the pedestal or crown.
The Museum of Modern Art- For the art enthusiasts, they don’t want to skip this modern art museum. There is a lot you can learn from this museum.
9/11 Memorial Museum- An important museum in the city of New York, the 9/11 Memorial Museum will take you to the devastating terrorist events of 9/11. It’s free to visit the 9/11 Memorial, but the museum would require you to have a ticket. The best time to visit is at night, so you can make this your last attraction of the day. During the nights, the pools are lit and the visitors will love the spectacular look of the attraction at that time.
Madame Tussauds- Visiting this attraction allows you to pose with more than 200 models of VIPs and celebrities including pop icons Selena Gomez or the British royal family. The wax figures at the Madame Tussauds look so real; you will feel as though you are in a real life encounter with those personalities.
The American Museum of Natural History- It’s among the largest museum in the world, and if you don’t want to wait too long in the line, you can choose the Rose Center Entrance, it has the shortest line.
While the Pass features many attractions, one downside is that it doesn’t include One World Observatory. Also, most attractions don’t need reservations, however, if you are using your NYC Explorer Pass to take the famous Woodbury Outlet Tour, you will need to make reservation 48 hours in advance so that they know that you hold the Pass.
How Much Can You Save?
Let’s assume that you are visiting the below attractions and tours. The regular prices are shown against every attraction or tour.
- Empire State Building – $37.00
- 9/11 Memorial Museum – $24.00
- Top of the Rock – $39.20
- Circle Line Best of NYC Cruise for 2.5 hours – $43.00
- Madame Tussaud’s All Access Pass – $32.00
- Hop-on Hop off Bus Tour for 1 Day- $60.00
- Central Park Bike Rental for a full day – $40.00
The total regular price for all these attractions will be $275.20 and the Explorer Pass costs $169.00 for 7 attractions. This would mean that you’re saving $80.70, which translates to a 39 percent saving on regular price.
Your Explorer Pass will expire after one year from the date of purchase, make sure you buy and use it within that timeframe. Also remember that all sales are considered final so if you make cancellation, you will have a 100 percent cancellation penalty.
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